The Kitchen Quartet unites four remarkable performers from America’s East Coast Irish music scene. Shannon Dunne (Washington, DC; dance, vocals), Kieran Jordan (Boston; dance), Sean McComiskey (Baltimore; accordion), and Cleek Schrey (Charlottesville; fiddle) combine the down-to-earth ease of a kitchen session with the sophisticated interplay of a string quartet.
The core of the band is the robust fiddle and accordion music of Cleek and Sean. Their approach to Irish music reminds listeners that this is a living tradition, continually reinvented by young players with great chops who find their own distinct expression in something old made new again. Meaty traditional jigs and reels meander to delicate old-world waltzes, and spiral around to contemporary improvisations and layers of harmonic invention. This musical pair has been friends since their teenage years, and their wordless, spontaneous musical exchange conveys their shared history and devotion to the Irish music tradition.
Add dancers Shannon and Kieran to the mix, and the result is perfect geometry of four compelling parts. Sparkly, thoughtful, and imaginative, Shannon and Kieran create the rhythmic “footing” for the Kitchen Quartet sound, drawing from their extensive backgrounds in many step dance traditions. Their particular fluidity in sean-nós Irish dancing — an improvised form — plus their experience in theater and modern dance, allows the dancing in this band to present a range of moods and impressions. Shannon’s singing, plus Kieran and Shannon’s storytelling monologues, round out the repertoire with warmth, whimsy, and heartfelt presence.
